On March 9th, the Senate Special Committee on Aging held a hearing, “Uplifting Families, Workers, and Older Adults: Supporting Communities of Care” which examined the economic benefit of investing in Medicaid home and community-based services, improving the direct care workers shortage and the caregiver crisis. During the hearing, Committee on Aging Chairman Bob Casey (D-PA), unveiled a new bill, the HCBS Access Act, which includes an expansion of home-and-community based (HCBS) services. Additionally, it provides $2 million dollars a year for 5 years, for the Administration for Community Living to establish a Technical Assistance Center for building the direct care workforce, and allocates $1 billion dollars, over five years, for Direct Care Workforce Competitive Grant Initiative. An article can be accessed here, for additional information on the hearing and the HCBS Access Act.
